The Votes are In!

Congratulations to the following successful candidates. These are the newly elected 2020 Board Positions:

President-Elect - Dr David Meade

Treasurer- Sherry Jankiewicz

Secretary - Rachel Towne

East Regional Chair - Angie McCarter

Middle Regional Chair - Heather McHugh

West Regional Chair - Jorden Miernik-Walker 

We want to thank the first ever TAEA Nomination committee consisting of the Past-President, President-Elect, and the 3 regional chairs. These 5 people put together the nomination forms, the rubrics for the elected board positions, received and scored the nominations, and with the help of our Media Chair, put them up on the website for the vote.  The results were sent to the Membership Chair to notify the candidates. 

 Thank you to all of our candidates for election. We are so proud of your dedication and willingness to serve on our board!

Janis Nunnally

Past-President of TAEA

Data, Data, Data

Recent years have shown a huge push for art teachers to incorporate math and data into their already jam-packed curriculum. While we may sigh in exasperation of having to do “one more thing,” many art teachers manage to link math and science ideas to their art curriculum while staying true to their artistic purpose.

Whether it is through an in-depth exploration of math concepts through perspective drawing, or a quick data visualization exercise, students benefit from seeing the arts used in many different settings. We all know that the arts are important in so many areas, not just strictly Art. Seeing the world through an artists’ point of view is a vital skill we should be teaching our students, one that promotes creative thinking and problem solving.

Do you utilize math and data visualization in your classroom? How? Why or why not?

In addition, if any art teachers are engaging their students in creating data visualizations, please contact Dr. Joy Bertling at jbertlin@utk.edu. She would love to talk to you about your experiences for a research project.

2020 TAEA Awardees

By Melody Weintraub, TAEA President Elect

Congratulations to our 2020 Tennessee Art Education Association Awardees! The review committee had a difficult time with the decisions this year due to multiple nominations of highly qualified recipients in several of the categories. However, this year, we designed a rubric that was posted with the nomination information to aid not only the nominators in providing the information needed, but it also helped the reviewers make more objective decisions.

As always, it is an honor to even be nominated by a colleague for an award, so please do not hesitate nominating someone you believe should be recognized as soon as this information rolls out again next Spring.

The Clay Lady Campus will host a reception for the 2020 Awardees on October 24 at 6:30. Tickets are $15 each. Awardees are free. Each recipient will be recognized with a beautiful plaque. They will also be recognized during the conference on Friday.

This year we will also have a fundraiser during the event to help support a scholarship for Pre-Service Art Teachers. Our plan is to sell items made by students. Last year, we sold clay cottage luminaries and raised $540 for the hurricane relief effort in North Carolina for art teachers who lost supplies. I was able to meet one of the teachers who benefitted from our donation. It was a such a rewarding experience. Our donation was also featured in the NAEA Advisory Newsletter under the Southeastern Region Report.

Hope to see you at the awards reception and conference. Be sure to congratulate the following:

2020 TAEA Awardees

Tennessee Art Educator of the Year………………………….        Carol Eckert

West Region Art Educator of the Year……………………….       Melanie Anderson

Middle Region Art Educator of the Year………………………     Terri Barton

East Region Art Educator of the Year………………………….      Paige Burchell

Elementary Art Educator of the Year……………………………     Cheryl Burchett

Middle Level Art Educator of the Year………………………….    Gulcan Demirtas

Secondary Art Educator of the Year………………………………   Heather McHugh

Supervision/Administration Art Educator of the Year……   Allison Ross

Museum Art Educator of the Year…………………………………   Kate Renner

First Year Art Educator of the Year…………………………………  Brendalynn Triplett

National Art Honor Society Sponsor of the Year…………….   Cheri Jorgenson

Higher Education Student Achievement Award………………  Reese Kougher

Friend of TAEA……………………………………………………………….. Danielle McDaniel/The Clay Lady

Hands On Clay

TAEA Middle Region 2019 Summer Conference Wrap-Up

By Michelle Vinci—TAEA Middle Region Chair

On June 18, art educators from all over the state of Tennessee came to the Middle Region for our annual Summer Conference. This time it was held at the Clay Lady’s Studio in Nashville where we learned “Advancing Your Clay Curriculum” and “Printmaking in Clay.” 

The day began with a light breakfast and coffee as well as a Keynote with Danielle McDaniel—well known as the Clay Lady. With the title “Wonderful World of Ceramics” Danielle (also proprietor of the Studio and MId-South Ceramics) led us in understanding more about various clay methods offered at the Studio as well as some of the scientific processes in creating clay and glazes. 

We began workshops where Danielle shared how to Advance Our Clay Curriculum. She taught several methods and projects that can be adapted to various levels: Elementary, Middle and High School. We all had fun experimenting with problem solving, textures and glazing. In the other workshop, Lyndy Rutledge shared at least 10 different methods of Printmaking in Clay and print transfer.  This was very insightful as there were methods that involved layering techniques and thinking through this was wonderfully creative.  All participants rotated to both workshops one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Everyone walked away with at least 4 clay projects and lots and lots of new ideas!!

Lunch provided a great time for Janis Nunnally—past president and Melody Weintraub—president elect, to share about our State Conference: October 24-26 at Watkins College of Art in Nashville and how to nominate great art educators for this year’s TAEA Awards.

Participants all received swag in their conference bags and prizes in the drawing due to generous donations from the following:  Jerry’s Artarama, Plaza Artist Materials, Staples of Bellevue, Frist Art Museum, Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, Trades of Hope Artisans (Gretchen Shea), and Clay Lady’s Studio.

Past-President's Thoughts....

What a great time to be in TAEA!  

Last November, 2018,  TAEA had the state conference at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg.  I was the TAEA Conference Chair, and this was my first conference. I was so happy that the conference was so well received and all participants left with many ideas and memories to bring back to the classroom, museum, district, etc.  It was a wonderful weekend, with Cindy Foley, of the Columbus Museum of Art, as our keynote speaker! Such a great message on the importance of creativity and thinking like an artist.  Keeping ideas generating, not just the art. Become visible and share how you can benefit the entire population at your school.   We also were graced with the now current, then President-Elect of NAEA, Thomas Knab, who spoke to us on Friday morning in our keynote time. We honored some well deserving art educators on Thursday night with a banquet and awards presentation.  It is such a great experience to receive an award from your peers!  

We had 9 workshop artists who joined us in our experience, with workshops including encaustic, woodworking, clay, oil painting, printmaking/design, mixed media collage, Day of the Dead workshops, Fibers, metal.  We had Supersessions that were led by TAEA members on a variety of relevant themes. We had “Artivism” Keynote session on Saturday that covered advocacy opportunities and what to say when advocating. TAEA Policy Statements were discussed in another session, and one dealt with the strategic planning of our organization.

Oh, yeah, did I mention it was at Arrowmont??  Which, of course, meant great food at the dining hall and wonderful ambiance!!  And we had Kris Bakke from Nasco who made it so much fun during our reception on Friday night. None of this happened by itself and I did not do it alone.  I had a Conference committee, which including non-board TAEA members and well as other TAEA board members. And we did look at the Evaluation forms and have made adjustments as needed! I had some wonderful angels help me clean up at the end of conference!

Now it is time for the next conference, the TAEA State Professional Development Conference   Is heading to Watkins College of Art in Nashville, TN on October 24-26, 2019!!  Great central location for the whole state. Included in your conference fee on Friday, will be keynote speaker, Sanford Greene, Marvel Artist, Higher Educator, and author of own series of graphic novels.  Continental breakfast and boxed lunch will be included in your conference fee. You can also choose one workshop a day from a variety of workshops using a variety of medias. If you can only come Friday or only Saturday, we have one day workshops available to choose from for that one day. If you are coming for both days, you will have a choice of 2-one day workshops or a 2-day workshop.  We will have Supersessions lead by TAEA members on Friday, and keynote sessions on Saturday, for important information on TAEA and State of Tennessee. A Friday night reception with food and hands on art, along with an Artisan’s Market!! Saturday will also include our members meeting.  And, of course, a swag bag and door prizes will be given out all through the event!

Workshops will include Dr. David Meade with fibers, Paul deNarrass with his fabulous oil sticks, Judy Klich with encaustic, Danielle McDaniel with clay, hands on and information on the science of clay, Melody Weintraub with altered books, Wayne Brezinka with mixed media, and Sanford Greene will do a one-day workshop on Friday. We are adding more to this list soon!!

We always need volunteers to help put on this event.  Please email me at nunnallyj@pcsstn.comto let me know you want to help us during the conference. We can use help at registration table, helping out the workshop artists-which you could do in your own workshop, picking up water, reception set up, lunch set up, etc, etc.  We will have an artisan’s market, so start gathering your art to sell during the Friday night reception!  There will be a nominal fee per table, so look for the sign-up information.

Keep watching the website and look for TAEA emails and social media posts for more information on your TAEA State Professional Development Conference.  I am so happy to have this experience of coordinating the conference one more time!  

Janis Stivers Nunnally

TAEA Past President

Conference Chair

Support and Love in the Related Arts

By: Alexis Hamnett

…when you find that group of peers that defines support and love, hold on to it.

The same wonderful woman has either been across the hall or next door to me since I started teaching 15 years ago.  She is our school’s music teacher, and the Ying to my Yang. That’s 15 years of listening to Hot Cross Buns during recorder practice, and 15 years of Christmas carol practices that begin in September!   

In spite of such “torture”,  I would do anything for this woman; she is the one who is there for all of my moments.  My laughter, my tears, my stories of the ridiculous and the profound have all made their way to the rocking chair in her room.  We have covered for each other, happily trying to figure out how to teach combined classes when personal emergencies arise. She and I regularly make fools of ourselves together in costume and in song for the enjoyment of our elementary students, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Our Related Arts team is close and, while we are so all so profoundly different in philosophy, temperament, and teaching styles, our respect for each other triumphs everyday.

There are others, others equally as important, in my school building too.   Those that are sounding boards, confidants, each the others substitute teachers.  We are available to give 5 minutes, or the extra 5 cents, that one may need to buy a chocolate bar at the end of an especially crazy day.  Our Related Arts team is close and, while we are so all so profoundly different in philosophy, temperament, and teaching styles, our respect for each other triumphs everyday.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that when you find that group of peers that defines support and love, hold on to it.  Our job as teachers has us heading down wild roads everyday. Recognize when you have something special, and return the love to those around you who are willing to help you navigate it safely.

YAM Flag Winners!

2019 TN YAM Flag Design Contest Results

Thank you to all who participated in the TN Youth Art Month Flag Design Contest!  We had so many great entries.  Here are the results of the 2019 contest.  Sincere thanks go out to the members of the Fairfield Glade Art Guild for being our judges.  They are all enthusiastic artists in their own right. All participant names and schools were hidden during the judging of the flags.  And a big thanks to Sargent Art for all of the great prizes!!  Winners will receive information about their prizes soon.

Grand Prize Winner:

Kassidy Gray 11th Grade L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville Cheri Jorgenson

Kassidy’s flag design will be used for the TN flag at the 2019 NAEA Convention in NYC!  She will also receive $1000 in cash from Sargent Art.  Her teacher will receive $1500 worth of art supplies from Sargent as well to use in her classroom.

Elementary Level Winners

1st Place winner receives $100 in art supplies from Sargent, and their teacher receives $300 worth of art supplies from Sargent!

1st Place John Wilson 4th Donelson Elem, Arlington Natalie Morgan

2nd Place Ocean Thatcher 2nd Joseph Rogers Primary, Rogersville Dr. David Meade

3rd Place Jaxon Wooton 5th North Comberland Elem, Crossville Tristessa Howard

Middle Level Winners

1st Place winner receives $100 in art supplies from Sargent, and their teacher receives $300 worth of art supplies from Sargent!

1st Brenner Olson 7th Houston Middle School, Germantown Hanna Wroblewski

2nd Madelyn Myhre 8th Upperman Middle School, Baxter Janis Nunnally

3rd Lily Cheree Hamlet 8th Upperman Middle School, Baxter Janis Nunnally

High School Winners

1st Place winner receives $100 in art supplies from Sargent, and their teacher receives $300 worth of art supplies from Sargent!

1st Paige McConnell 11th Cumberland County High School Ginger Slate

2nd Ashley Burke 11th Cumberland County High School Ginger Slate

3rd Cassandra Housley 12th Dayton City School, Dayton Nela Swiney

HM Ian Rainey 11th L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville Cheri Jorgenson

West TN Art Teacher Forum

By Melody Weintraub 

Recently a group of West Tennessee art teachers decided to create a professional development day geared for Middle and High School Art Teachers interested in increasing the skills and engagement of their students. Melanie Trout Anderson, Carrol Harding McTyre, and Leanne Wilson of Arlington High School and Jenna Fergus of Briarcrest approached TAEA President Kathy Dumlao with the idea and what transpired in late January was the West Tennessee Art Teacher Forum hosted by Arlington High School and planned and presented by these dynamic award-winning art teachers. I attended this fun and meaningful event along with several TAEA members from our region. I have already been applying what I learned in my classroom! 

I have already been applying what I learned in my classroom! 

After a welcome by Jenna Fergus, we rotated to Leanne Wilson’s classroom for a monoprint workshop. As we enjoyed art making with collograph-type printing, we also enjoyed sharing ideas with one another. Leanne’s use of recycled and repurposed materials gave us all many practical take-aways. 

Next, we moved to Melanie Anderson’s classroom for a workshop in painting still-life on gessoed posterboard. Melanie’s experience as a working artist and classroom teacher inspired us all. 

Carrol McTyre lead the next workshop, sharing her Sketchbook “Starters and Finishers.” Carrol also shared slides of how her students had applied these sketchbook prompts. We were then given time to “play” in our own sketchbooks applying some of her awesome suggestions. 

Jenna Fergus wrapped up our time together by sharing how she develops her students’ writing and critique skills through her CRIT method. She also shared how her AP student’s writing advanced as a result of learning to Describe, Analyze, Interpret and Judge not only famous works of art, but their own work as well. 

We all left the event recharged, refreshed and ready to see this event repeated!